Scallop eviscerator



March 15, 1966 J. A. POLITO SCALLOP EVISGERATOR Original Filed March 6.1961 United States Patent 3,239,876 SCALLOP EVISCERATOR Joseph A.Polito, Maywood, Ill., assignor to Continental Seafood Corporation,Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Original application Mar. 6,1961, Ser. No. 93,406, new Patent No. 3,156,948, dated Nov. 17, 1964.Divided and this application Sept. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 413,666 9 Claims.(Cl. 17-2) This application is a division of my copending priorapplication Serial No. 93,406, filed March 6, 1961, entitled ScallopEviscerator, now Patent No. 3,156,948.

This invention relates to an apparatus for scallop evisceration, andmore particularly, to an apparatus for mechanically separating theviscera from the meat of a shucked scallop.

Scallops are marine mollusks, as are oysters and clams. They consist ofthree major parts: two shells or valves; viscera (sometimes called therim); and a single large adductor muscle (also called the meat or eye ofthe scallop), which is the edible part of the scallop, marketed forconsumption in the United States.

Scallops have heretofore been cleaned and prepared for marketing byhand-shucking techniques. One such technique comprises opening thescallop from the back at the hinge of the two valves with a knife orsimilar instrument, inserting the knife between the meat and one valveso that the viscera is pinched to the inner surface of that valve, andseparating the valves. The separation of the valves will pull theviscera away from the meat, leaving the meat attached to the secondvalve from which it may be easily cut. This process of separating themeat of the scallop from the viscera is beset with several drawbacks.For example, it is a slow process and is thus impractical i-or cleaningcertain smaller species of scallops, such as calico scallops, whichprovide only four to five pints of meat per bushel of shell stock.Moreover, in such species of scallops as calico scallops, there isgreater exterior curvature of the valves and thus greater interiorconcavity, making it difficult to cut the muscle from the valves withoutat least some meat loss, such loss being as high as percent in someinstances. Because of the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior artprocesses, calico scallops and the like are not to any great extentmarketed in the United States, notwithstanding that they are plentifuland quite palatable.

Accordingly, it is one object of this invention to provide an apparatusfor economically eviscerating scallop meat for commercial use and salewith a negligible amount of waste.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus foreconomically eviscerating and making commercially feasible low yieldingand structurally peculiar scallops, such as calico scallops.

Further and additional objects will be apparent from the drawings,descriptions, and claims.

The present invention contemplates that the preparation for marketing ofscallop meat will comprise two distinct operations: (1) shucking thescallop; that is to say, separating the shells or valves from thetissue, and (2) eviscerating the scallop tissue; namely, separating theviscera from the meat or muscle. The first step may be carried out byany conventional means presently used, for example, for shocking oystersor clams, and no particular shucking process forms a part of the presentinvention. The apparatus of this invention relates solely to the step ofseparating the viscera from the muscle of the scallop tissue after thetissue has been removed from the shells.

The apparatus of the present invention comprises, genice erally, asupporting member having an axial restricted passageway formed thereinwhich is adapted to receive scallop meat with attached viscera after themeat and viscera have been removed from the valves. The meat is disposedin the supporting member intermediate its ends, and fluid is introducedinto the passageway. The fluid exerts pressure on one end of the meatand forces it through the restricted passageway, causing the meat toseparate from the viscera in the direction of the other end of the meat.The supporting member is generally constructed of a resilient or elasticmaterial such as rubber or an elastomer so as to prevent damage to thescallop meat and to permit adjustment of .the member for various sizedscallop meats. It may be brought into frictional engagement with themeat contained therein by the application of an axial force thereonwhich causes the passageway in the supporting element to contract. Thefluid used to exert pressure on the scallop meat is preferably water,since, among other things, it is both economical to use and will notcontaminate the meat.

Drawings have been provided to facilitate understanding of the inventionas follows:

FIG. 1 shows a scallop after the shell or valves have been separated butprior to the removal of the adductor muscle and viscera from the valves.

FIG. 2 shows scallop tissue after it has been removed from the valves,but prior to the separation of the viscera from the muscle.

FIG. 3 shows the muscle or meat of a scallop after it has been removedfrom the valves and the viscera.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 4 taken alongline 55 thereof and shows a scallop therein prior to its beingeviscer-ated.

FIG. 6 is a modification of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 6.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3, it canbe seen that a scallop has been provided in various stages ofdissection. FIG. 1 shows a whole scallop after it has been opened. Itcomprises two valves, 11 and 13, the muscle or the meat 15, and theviscera 17. FIG. 2 shows the muscle 15 with the viscera 17 attachedthereto after they have been removed from the valves 11 and 13 of thescallop shown in FIG. 1. As can be seen from this drawing, the viscera17 is attached to themeat 15 intermediate the ends, 1511 and 15b,thereof, the ends of the meat 15 being free of viscera. Muscle 15 isshown in FIG. 3 in its marketable form after it has been removed fromthe valves 11 and 13 and from the viscera 17.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 4 and 5, which show one embodiment of theapparatus of this invention. The eviscerator 10 comprises asubstantially cylindrical unit 12 which houses a resilient supportingmember 14 provided with an axial passageway 16 for receiving scalloptissue or product 26. The passageway 16 has a substantially cylindricalconfiguration with a restricted portion 16a and conic surfaces 16btherein. The conic surfaces aid in separating the viscera from the meat,and also help guide the product into the restricted orifice with one ofthe ends of the meat as the leading surface, so that less care isrequired in the placement of the scallop product in the eviscerator.Where desired, however, a configuration other than conical may be formedin the pas sageway 16 to perform the same function as the latter.

An annular-metal washer 18 is provided coincident to the supportingmember 14 and immediately adjacent thereto. Pressure member 20 isthreadably connected to unit 12 by screw threads 22 provided in thelatter unit,

and has a rigid annular surface 20a which may be brought to bear on onesurface 18a of washer 18. By tightening member 20, pressure is exertedagainst the washer surface 18a and this pressure is transmitted tosupporting member 14 in the form of an axial force. The passageway 16 inmember 14 thereby contracts and grips the scallop meat and visceradisposed therein, intermediate the ends of the meat. Liquid or fluidinlet 24, which may be a metal pipe, rubber tube or the like, and whichis connected to member 20, injects fluid through member 20 and theannulus of the surface 20a thereof and into the passageway 16 ofsupporting member 14. The fluid applies pressure to one end 26c of themeat 26a of the scallop product 26 forcing the latter through passageway16 in the direction of the other end 26d of the meat. The product 26,with end 26d as the leading edge, is guided by conic surfaces 16b intothe restricted orifice 16a. The viscera 26b will adhere to the walls ofthe passageway 16 and thereby separate from the meat 26a. Both the meatand viscera will ultimately be discharged from the eviscerator, the meatpreceding the viscera. The flu1d preferably used in the illustratedembodiment is water.

FIG. 6 shows a modification 28 of the embodiment of FIG. 4. In thisembodiment it will be seen that pressure member 30, although it performsthe same function as pressure member 20 of the apparatus of FIG. 4,operates similar to a piston. Pressure member 30 slidably engagessubstantially cylindrical housing 32 and has a rigid annular surface 34.By actuating member 30, the surface 34 thereof may be brought to bear onresilient supporting member 36 and to exert pressure against the surface38 of the latter member 36. Member 30 may be actuated in manyconventional ways. For example, a mechanical linkage may be employed tomove piston 30 downwardly against resilient member 36, or the same fluidpressure which forces the scallop product through the eviscerator may beemployed to first actuate the piston 30. Similar to the supportingmember 14 of the embodiment of FIG. 5, member 36 has an axial passageway49 formed therein for receiving the uneviscerated scallop meat. Theapplication of pressure on member 36 will cause the passageway 40 tocontract and to frictionally engage the product therein. Water or otherfluid is then introduced into eviscerator 28 through fluid inlet 42,forcing the scallop meat through the passageway 40 and restrictedorifice 4011, thereby effecting separation of the meat from the viscerain the same manner as when the apparatus of FIG. is employed.

FIG. 6 also shows the use of scraping means 44 located in the restrictedorifice 40a of passageway 40 of supporting member 36. The scraping means44 in the present embodiment comprise small resilient protuberances orfingers 46, best shown in FIG. 7. They may be formed from the samematerial used to construct the supporting member, namely, rubber orother elastomeric or resilient substances. The protuberances 46 engagethe viscera as the scallop meat is forced through the orifice 40a andaid in the separation of the viscera from the scallop meat.

The disclosed embodiments are only for illustrative purposes, and manyvariations will immediately appear to the artisan. In commercialproduction, for example, the instant invention would be incorporatedinto an automatic or semi-automatic machine which would facilitate thetimed insertion of the scallop product, the closure of the eviscerator,and the application of fluid pressure.

Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, andit is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims to cover "any suchmodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning scallop meat having viscera attached to itintermediate its ends, which ends were attached to the scallop valves,comprising means for frictionally engaging the meat and attachedviscera, means for applying fluid pressure to one end of said meat, anda restricted passageway through which the meat is forced by saidpressure, whereby the meat is separated from said viscera in thedirection of the other end of said meat.

2. Apparatus for cleaning scallop meat having viscera attached to itintermediate its ends, which ends were attached to the scallop valves,comprising resilient means for frictionally engaging the meat andviscera intermediate the ends of the meat; said means having an axialrestricted passageway therein adapted to receive the meat and attachedviscera; and means for applying fluid pressure to one end of said meatwhereby the meat is separated from the viscera in the direction of theother end of said meat.

3. Apparatus for cleaning scallop meat having viscera attached to itintermediate its ends, which ends were attached to the scallop valves,comprising a resilient member having an axial restricted passagewayformed therein adapted to receive the meat and attached viscera; meansfor applying axial pressure to said resilient member whereby thepassageway therein is contracted and brought in frictional engagementwith the meat and viscera intermediate the ends of the meat; means forapplying fluid pressure to one end of said meat whereby the meat isseparated from said viscera in the direction of the other end of themeat.

4. Apparatus for cleaning scallop meat having viscera attached to itsintermediate its ends, which ends were attached to the scallop valves,comprising a housing; a resilient member disposed in said housing, saidresilient member having an axial restricted passageway formed thereinadapted to receive the meat and attached viscera; means defining a rigidannular surface for applying pressure axially to said resilient memberwhereby said passageway therein is contracted and brought intofrictional engagement with the meat and viscera intermediate the ends ofthe meat; means for applying fluid through said pressure means and intosaid passageway so as to apply pressure to one end of said meat wherebythe meat is separated from the viscera in the direction of the other endof the meat.

5. Apparatus for cleaning scallop meat having viscera attached to itintermediate its ends, which ends were attached to the scallop valves,comprising a generally cylindrical housing; a resilient member disposedin said housing, said resilient member having an axial passageway formedtherein adapted to receive the meat and attached viscera, saidpassageway having conic surfaces and a restricted orifice therein;generally cylindrical pressure means defining a rigid annular surfacefor applying pressure axially to said resilient member whereby thepassageway formed therein is contracted and brought into frictionalengagement with the meat and viscera intermediate the ends of the meat,means for injecting fluid through said pressure means and into saidpassageway of said resilient member, said fluid applying pressure to oneend of said meat whereby the other end of said meat is guided by theconic surfaces into said restricted orifice and the meat is separatedfrom the viscera in the direction of said other end of said meat; andscraping means disposed in said restricted orifice for assisting theseparation of the meat from the viscera.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the scraping means comprise aplurality of protuberances disposed in the orifice formed in saidresilient member and attached to the inner surface thereof.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said fluid is a liquid.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said fluid is water.

9. Apparatus for cleaning scallop meat having viscera attached to itsintermediate its ends, which ends were attached to the scallop valves,comprising a substantially cylindrical housing; a rubber member disposedin said housing, said rubber member having an axial, generallycylindrical passageway formed therein adapted to receive the meat andattached viscera, said passageway having conic surfaces and a restrictedorifice therein; generally cylindrical pressure means engaging saidhousing, said 5 6 means defining a rigid annular surface for applying ofsaid other end of said meat and is discharged from pressure axially toaid rubber member whereby the said apparatus prior to the discharge ofsaid viscera. passageway formed therein is contracted and brought intofrictional engagement with the meat and viscera References Clted by theExaminer intermediate the ends of the meat; water inlet means for 5UNITED STATES PATENTS injecting water through the pressure means andinto 2 1 4 3 4 7 193 c -i 146 43 said rubber member passageway, saidwater applying 3,129 456 4 19 4 R f 17 5 pressure to one end of saidmeat, whereby the other end is guided by said conic surfaces into saidrestricted orifice SAMUEL KOREN Prlmary Exammerand the meat is separatedfrom the viscera in the direction 10 LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SCALLOP MEAT HAVING VISCERA ATTACHED TO ITINTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, WHICH ENDS WERE ATTACHED TO THE SCALLOP VALVES,COMPRISING MEANS FOR FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE MEAT AND ATTACHEDVISCERS, MEANS FOR APPLYING FLUID PRESSURE TO ONE END OF SAID MEAT, ANDA RESTRICTED PASSAGEWAY THROUGH WHICH THE MEAT IS FORCED